Brave New World
by itsnotaboutlove
Summary: In the city that never sleeps, love finds it's way. AU. Multi Pairings. Sulu/OFC.
1. Chapter 1

The scorching heat of the summer sun and the smell of diesel and other rank odors filled the city streets. It was only the first week of June and the temperatures were already at an all time high, making everyone crabby and sweaty. Very sweaty. Kate McCallister made her way up the front steeps of her best friends apartment building. Using the extra key Gaila gave her, Kate let herself in the front door and kindly collected her mail, before heading up the three flights to apartment 24 C.

Unlocking the front door, Kate balanced a cup holder and a bag from the local Starbucks and pushed the front door open.

"Gaila! I brought breakfast!" she shouted, setting the mail down on the table.

Shutting the door, Kate made her way into the kitchen and set the coffee and bagels down on the counter and listened out for her friend. The hum of the refrigerator and the honking and shouting from outside filled the morning air. Gaila's two-bedroom apartment in the Upper West Side of Manhattan overlooked Central Park. How her friend could afford such a nice apartment was beyond her, though it was possible that Gaila had a sugar daddy paying the bills.

A low moan from the back of the apartment caught Kate's attention, as she stood in the hallway. Quietly, Kate made her way down the hall as the moans continued.

"God, are you hung-over again?" she asked, as she turned the doorknob.

Pushing the door open, Kate expected to find her friend curled up in her bed and sick. Instead, she found her friend on all fours getting fucked from behind vigorously by a slightly pudgy and balding man.

"OH SHIT!" Kate screeched, backing out of the room quickly.

The man and Gaila scrambled apart- more like the man did the scrambling as Gaila pulled herself up onto her knees.

"I'm sorry! I brought coffee and bagels!" Kate cried, as she covered her eyes with her hand. "I'll wait in the kitchen!"

Kate hightailed back into the kitchen as Gaila laughed after her, the man cursing and searching for his clothes. Ten minutes later, Kate watched as Gaila's embarrassed suitor left the apartment and the not-so-embarrassed event planner waltzing into the kitchen in skimpy lingerie.

"Can't you put clothes on?" Kate asked, as Gaila rummaged around the cabinet for coffee. "I don't need to see your bare ass! I think I've seen it enough the last ten years!"

Gaila scoffed, "Poor Katie. When's the last time you've been fucked?" she giggled.

Kate rolled her eyes as Gaila pulled plates and condiments from the fridge, before settling down across from her at the table.

"So.." she started, slicing the bagel open. "How many times have you walked in on me now?"

"Too many to count."

Gaila snorted, " My poor friend," she pouted, as she slathered cream cheese across her bagel. "Still having your dry spell?"

Kate rolled her eyes, "Can we talk about something else? I didn't sit on a hot subway and bring breakfast to talk about sex."

The red head sighed, "Fineeee," she shrugged. "There's a new guy moving in today, around noon."

"Great, another suitor for you!"

Gaila snorted, "Actually," she trailed off. "He's more like your type. From what my lovely superintendent tells me, he's a teacher and boring."

"But I'm a teacher," Kate frowned. "Do you find me boring?"

Gaila reached across the table and patted her hand, "Oh sweetie," she cooed. "You're an exception."

Kate shook her head, "Besides," Gaila continued, sitting back in her chair. "Who else can survive my sexual escapades? They'd all be dead by now from sudden heart attacks or brain aneurysms."

….

Jim Kirk picked up the waiting cup of coffee from the Keurig and walked into the living room of his apartment. With a sigh, he plopped down on the sofa and turned up the volume of the television set. Another hot day and even hotter evening, with a possible thunderstorm. After the weather, came entertainment news, which was an important part of Jim's mornings.

He watched as the reporter talked about last night's party- one that he and his team put together after many months of planning- praising how wonderful it was. All the A-listers and organizations that attended were reported to be "pleased" and "honored" to be invited to the shindig.

"I'm telling you, Matt," the woman said, turning to her co-anchor.

Jim had no idea what her name was, but noticed how hot she was. Not as hot as Gaila, but she was close enough.

"Enterprise Events is taking off with all these parties! It was truly as wonderful evening and I can't wait to see what else this company comes up with!"

Jim turned the television off and sat back against the sofa with a smile, sipping his coffee. Another evening of pure success. He needed to celebrate this moment with a friend. Grabbing his cellphone off the coffee table, Jim went through his personal contacts and dialed Gaila. When it went straight to voicemail, he sighed and dialed another number. After a few rings, a disgruntled man picked up and threatened his caller.

With a chuckle, Jim smiled to himself. "Bones!" he shouted, as the man cursed on the other end of the line. "Get your ass out of bed. I'm taking you to breakfast!"

….

Hikaru Sulu was a native to Manhattan. Born and raised, the twenty-eight year old had fond memories of his childhood home in Chelsea. But college came and so did the scholarship at UCLA. Ten years and a long-term relationship gone sour, Hikaru was back and ready to start a new chapter in his life.

His parents were thrilled to have him back, after years of short visits to and from his home in Los Angles to their tiny apartment in Soho. After Vanessa rejected his marriage proposal and admitted to having an affair with one of his co-workers- the damn French teacher- Hikaru sold their two-bedroom home and found a job at Hunter College. He could finally put his History degree to good use, taking over the Latin American classes in the department; his focus point during his own studies ten years previously.

"Turn left and drive two-point-six miles," the gps declared. "Your destination will be on the left."

Hikaru did what he was told and parallel-parked between two cars, before turning the engine off. Getting out of the car, he turned and looked up at the apartment that was now his home. The movers would arrive later that afternoon with his belongings, while he packed his more personal and very important items in the car.

"Well," he sighed, closing the car door. "Let's see what you look like."

Stepping onto the sidewalk, Hikaru made his way up the stone steps and into the unknown that would become the next chapter of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

Leonard McCoy made his way down the busy sidewalk before ducking into the air conditioning of the diner. He spotted the familiar blonde hair and cut his way through the tables, before sitting down across from Jim.

"Fucking A!" Jim grinned, slapping his hand down on the table. "About damn time you showed up!"

"Had to drop Jo off at daycare," he muttered, picking up the menu next to his plate.

The grin on Jim's face wilted and he nodded, "How's Jo these days?' he asked, as the waitress came by with coffee. "Still quiet?"

Leonard nodded, "I'm tryin' everything to get her to socialize with the kids at daycare," he shrugged. "But she ain't goin for it."

"Give her time, Bones. It hasn't even been a year and she was there," he said.

The construction worker from Astoria sat back in his chair, ready to change the subject. The death of his ex-wife and the mother to his five-year-old daughter was still raw. To reconnect with his daughter after a three-year absence since the divorce, Leonard was in a whole new ballpark. Gone were the days of a divorced father, who hardly saw his kid and the nights of going out to bars and some of Jim's parties.

"Anyway, let's change the subject," he said. "I heard your party was a success last night."

Jim smiled, "It was! Enterprise Events is finally kicking off!"

Leonard raised his coffee, "Congrats Jim," he sighed. "Now, I hope you plan on buying me breakfast. I intend on ordering a feast since you forced me out of bed at this ungodly hour."

Jim frowned, "It's ten-thirty in the morning!"

….

Pavel Chekov sat in the back of the lecture hall at Hunter College, tapping his pen lightly against the pages of his notebook. He kept glancing at the clock on the wall, watching as the minutes ticked away along with his sanity. The room was too stuffy and smelled like old cheese, as the fossil stood at by the podium, going over ancient mythology of Greece.

Summer classes were a necessity if Pavel wanted to graduate within a year and into the Grad program for Physics. His parents pushed him to take three classes in the summer, two in the first session and one in the last. The constantly reminded him that he didn't get his scholarship for nothing. Immigrants from Russia, Stanislav and Katerina Chekov worked hard in their new country to create a life for themselves and their future children. Pavel, their only child to be blessed with, was raised at an early age to work hard for the things he wanted. To be the best at everything he came across and to never apologize for achieving his goals when others couldn't.

But right now, at ten-forty-five in the morning, he wanted a shower and a nap. And maybe some pot. Any of those options would be better than this, wasting his life away in the classroom that smelled like old cheese.

….

"I wonder if he's hot," Gaila said, as she and Kate made their way up the block to her apartment. "I mean, I've seen some really hot teachers in my time."

Kate rolled her eyes, "You are foul, Gaila."

The red head smirked, "No, not foul," they stomped up the front steps of the building. "Just trying to get you a hook up."

"I don't need your help in finding a man! I can find one on my own, thank you!" she snapped, as they headed into the building.

Gaila snorted, "Oh puhleeze!"

Kate gasped, "What? I can!" she insisted, as she followed up the stairs. "I just choose not to because I have work and other shit to do that doesn't involve hooking up with strangers."

"It doesn't help that you live in Brooklyn, where everyone is a fucking hipster and thinks they're so goddamn trendy!"

"Hey, I love my place in Brooklyn! You're just jealous because I have a cool accent and you don't!" Kate snapped.

Gaila rolled her eyes, "You're right, Katie. I want to sound like Jennifer Lopez!"

"She's from the Bronx."

"Whatever!" Gaila snorted. "Oh look, my new neighbor is here!" she turned to grin at Kate. "Let's go say hi!"

Before Kate could stop her, Gaila took off towards the apartment and knocked on the open door. With a frustrated sigh, Kate followed after her and grabbed her arm.

"Gaila meet them later! I'm starving and I need to head back soon to finish my work!" Kate hissed, as Gaila peered inside the apartment.

"Oh stop! You can read on the subway!" she hissed back, before turning her attention away from her friend. "Hello? Anyone home?!" she shouted.

A few minutes later, a man stepped out into the hallway and smiled. "Hi!" he waved, making his way towards them. "Sorry, I didn't hear you."

Gaila gave him her flirtatious smile and held out her hand, "That's fine," she said. "I'm Gaila."

The man shook her hand, "Hikaru."

She grinned, "This is my friend Kate," she wrapped her arm around Kate's shoulders. "She's from Brooklyn."

Hikaru nodded and smiled, "Hi. Nice to meet you," he said, holding out his hand.

The brunette took it and smiled, "Same here," she said softly, blushing as she looked down at her feet.

"So," Gaila shrugged. "I heard you're a teacher!"

Hikaru nodded, "Uh, yeah you heard right."

"My friend here is a teacher as well," she nudged Kate with her hip. "Right Katie?"

Kate nodded and Hikaru smiled, "Really? Where do you teach?" he asked, turning his attention to the quiet woman.

"Hunter," she answered, smiling brightly at him. "I teach a few of the European History classes there."

"Seriously?" he asked, as she nodded. "I'm teaching the Latin American classes!"

Gaila suddenly realized that she lost Hikaru and sighed, "I better run upstairs and start lunch," she said. "You two continue talking and I'll call you up when it's ready."

Kate nodded and Gaila turned to her new neighbor, "It was nice meeting you. Welcome to the lovely neighborhood!"

As Gaila walked out of the apartment and up the next flight of stairs, she heard Kate laugh at something Hikaru said and she smiled to herself. It had been ages since she heard that laugh and it was refreshing to hear it again. Continuing her way up the stairs, she began to plot in that lovely head of hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Kate sighed and pushed her chair back from the desk, cracking her knuckles as she glanced at the clock. She wasn't due to lecture for another two hours and she had enough time to type up and upload the final project for the her summer class. Hoping that a six-week course on World War II was enough for her students, Kate debated on how much work she wanted her students to do and the amount of time she wanted to spend grading.

Taking a sip of her water, Kate set the glass down on the desk and started typing again. A soft knock at the door distracted her for a moment, but she continued to type, shouting out for the person to come in.

"Ah, I figured you'd be working."

Kate glanced up from the screen and smiled, "And I figured you would be lecturing your students on Shakespeare and assigning three-thousand word essays."

Chris closed the door and walked over to the chairs in front of her desk, "I could," he said, taking a seat. "But I still want to enjoy my summer."

Kate sighed, "Tell me about it," she stopped typing and moved her computer to the side. "I don't know how Barnett suckered me into teaching a summer course this year."

Chris laughed, "Hey, it's about time. I think you're the only professor at Hunter, who hasn't taught a summer course yet."

"Excuse me for wanting to shut my brain down after spring finals, Uncle Chris," she rolled her eyes, rather amused at the silly banter. "Such a disaster grading that shit."

"Yes, I know. Your mother even called me to tell me about your breakdown and how you called half of your students inept and that they would fail in the outside world," he said, rattling off the colorful display of words that Kate had used.

Kate groaned, "Don't make me feel bad," she said. "Because I don't."

Chris held up his hands, "I'm not here to make you feel bad," he said. "I came in here to see if you wanted to collaborate on something."

"Oh? You want to work with me?" she perked up, shocked at the sudden offer.

"Don't make me regret this," he warned. "You're teaching Europe 1914-1945, right?" he asked, as she nodded.

"Yeah, but I'm giving them a short recap of World War One and then I plan on jumping right into the second war, why?" she asked.

Chris sat back in the seat, "I was thinking maybe we can collaborate on material. Since I have this misfortune of teaching a Topics class, I figured I'd try teaching with literature tied to World War II," he shrugged. "And I'm pretty sure a few of my regular students are signed up for your class."

Kate nodded, "We could do that. I have a list on here that I can print out for you," she said, opening a file on her MacBook. "Do you wanna head down to the bookshop and hand in the order forms? I have to submit mine before another college takes all my shit."

"Sure. I have to get the forms from the English Department, if you wanna swing by with me?" he offered.

Grabbing the paper from the printer, Kate handed it over to him and grabbed her stuff. Powering down the laptop, she shoved it into her bag and stood up. "Wanna grab lunch? I'm starving."

Chris snorted, "I'm guessing you didn't eat breakfast today?" he asked, as they stepped out into the hall.

Kate locked up and turned to look at him, "I forgot?"

"Katie, you should eat three meals a day," he said, as they started towards the elevator. "Your mother calls me everyday to make sure you're doing alright."

"I know," she sighed, as they stepped on the elevator. "I try to eat, but I've been stressed out with this class and everything else on top of it."

Chris nudged her arm, "I'll buy you lunch," he said. "Tomorrow you're coming over and I'm making you dinner."

Kate started to protest but he stopped her, "I'm your Godfather," he grinned. "Can't let you starve to death."

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor and opened, "Gee, thanks. Next thing I know, I'll be drowning in Beowulf and Virginia Woolf."

…..

Nyota Uhura sat in her very own office, twenty blocks away from Hunter College, deleting half of her mailbox. She cursed at the thirty-seven emails that Jim Kirk sent her, over the course of an hour.

"Motherfucker.." she muttered, as her notification went off, signaling that she had a new email.

Scrolling back up, she cursed again when Jim's name popped up. Clicking on it, she skimmed through it quickly, rolled her eyes and deleted it. Jim Kirk and computers were a bad combination, as he sent mass emails all day long. Besides Gaila, Nyota took most of the damage to her mailbox, logging in and finding it flooded with various letters.

"Nyota!"

She cringed and sighed, "What Kirk?" she snapped, as strolled into her office.

"Why didn't you respond to my email?" he asked, throwing himself down into her chair.

"Which one? You sent thirty-eight of them in the last fucking hour," she snarled, as he grinned at her.

Jim sighed, "The ones about Gaila!"

Nyota shook her head, "I am NOT setting you up with Gaila!" she snapped, as he pouted. "Just hook up with some skank at a bar or something!"

"You think that little of me?" he asked, clutching his chest. "That hurts!"

She growled, "Don't you have work to do?"

Jim nodded, "But I have someone working on it," he said, waving his hand. "Now, about Gaila…"

…..

"But Daddy! I don't want to go!" Joanna cried, as her father carried her up the stairs to her classroom.

Leonard sighed, "Baby, Daddy has to work today," he said, as she held onto him tightly. "But I'll be back to pick you up."

Joanna pouted, "Can't I go with you?"

"It's not safe for you, baby girl. Something could fall and hurt you," he said, as they stepped into the classroom.

Several children were already there, playing and drawing as the daycare teacher walked around to observe them.

"Daddy, this place smells," Joanna whispered, as the woman came over to them.

"Hello Jo!" the woman smiled, as Joanna's eyes lit up. "I was wondering when you would get here.'

"Miss Christine!" she squealed, as Leonard set her down.

Joanna ran forward and latched onto Christine's legs, hugging them tightly. The blonde laughed and patted the top of her head, before looking up at Leonard.

"Hi," she held out her hand. "Christine Chapel."

Leonard took her hand into his and shook it, "Leonard McCoy."

She gave him another sunny smile and Leonard found himself smiling back at her, "Joanna talks about you all the time," Christine said, as Joanna stood between the two adults. "She says you build skyscrapers."

Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, Leonard shook his head. "Not really," he shrugged. "I've been helping out at Ground Zero for the last three years. Usually it's small stuff here and there."

Christine giggled, "Still, it's quite exciting what you do."

Joanna tugged on her jean clad leg, "Can we go color?" she asked, as Christine looked down at her.

"Of course we can! I brought some crayons with sparkles in them!" Christine exclaimed, smiling down at her.

Joanna smiled and turned to her father, "Bye Daddy!" she waved, before running off to a table in the corner.

"Jesus," he said, shaking his head. "Never saw her so quick to get rid of me."

Christine snorted, "I've heard that she's not always this excited to be here," she shrugged. "I usually work Thursday and Friday shift but Janice's brother was rushed into emergency surgery last night and I'm covering her shifts until further notice."

"At least you get weekends off," he said, as she smiled.

"Thank goodness for that!" she laughed. "So, will we be expecting you at five today?" she asked.

Leonard looked down at his watch and saw that it was ten to and winced, "I'm not sure at the moment," he said. "I could call around my lunch break and let you know, thought I'll probably have to send my neighbor to come get her."

But Christine shook her head, "If you need to come late that's fine. I'll stay with her here until you come," she said.

"Oh no, I couldn't do that to you," he started.

"It's quite alright Len," she insisted. "Joanna is a lovely girl and I enjoy watching her the most out of the others."

Leonard chuckled, "Did she pay you to tell me that?" he asked.

Christine laughed, "No, but I do enjoy her company," she said, as they both turned to watch her digging through a pile of construction paper. "She's very smart and has a keen interest in animals," she said, turning back to look at him. "I think you have a future veterinarian on your hands."

They spoke for a few more minutes until it was time for Leonard to leave. With a quick hug and kiss with Joanna, he said his thanks and quickly headed downstairs and out onto the busy sidewalk towards the subway. All the while, as he walked, he couldn't stop thinking about one Christine Chapel and her sunny smile.

…

Hikaru was setting his book onto the shelf in his new office, thinking about his neighbors' best friend. It had been a little over a week since he met Kate, and he couldn't stop thinking about her. She was gorgeous and smart and funny on top if it all. He was pleased to find that besides teaching and history, they had many things in common. Instantly, Hikaru was attracted to her. He knew that she worked in the same department and the same university, though he had yet to run into her. His first week at work consisted of meeting the department head, Richard Barnett along with several campus officials on what was expected of him.

The summer session would start in a two weeks and he was already busy working on setting up his office and syllabus for Modern Latin America as well as his fall syllabuses for three different classes. Hikaru was lucky enough to obtain his own office, since sharing a space with another professor always ended badly for him.

"That should do it.." he muttered, setting the last of his books onto the shelf.

Stepping back, he turned to the box on his desk and started pulling things out. A desk lamp, a holder for his pens and pencils, a desk calendar and various other items he splurged on before leaving California. Once his things were set up, the boxes placed in the corner of the room, he grabbed his book order form and headed to the door.

As he locked up, he could hear chatter in the distance. He took note that one of the voices- the feminine one- sounded familiar, as he started towards the elevator bank.

"I don't understand how they hire these students to be in charge of placing orders!" she exclaimed. "I specifically said I wanted the eleventh edition, not the sixth! They don't even make the sixth edition in large quantities anymore!"

"Relax," the man said. "I think the boy wont be making any mistakes anymore after you got through him."

Hikaru turned the corner and stopped, when he saw them. Kate. Gaila's best friend Kate. She was here, in the building and on the same floor as him. She was also with a much older man and Hikaru couldn't deny that he was handsome for his age. Stepping back, Hikaru peered around the corner and watched as they spoke some more.

"So tomorrow night, my place," he said. "Dinner and we'll start working."

Kate nodded, "I'll bring sugary treats," she said, as the man opened his mouth to speak. "No, no wine. You know what happens when you have wine."

Hikaru felt his hope dwindling fast as Kate spoke with the man in such a casual manner. Of course she had a boyfriend, though when he met her, she didn't seem to be the kind that dated someone older than herself.

"I will call you later," she said, unlocking the door to her office with one hand. "Thank you for lunch."

Then, she reached out and hugged the man. And he hugged her _back! _Hikaru didn't leave his hiding spot until Kate was in her office with the door closed and the man was on an elevator car and gone from the floor. With a defeated sigh, Hikaru continued his way down the hall, glancing quickly at the door to Kate's office and over to the elevator. As he took it down to the main level of the building, he thought that maybe it was fate that Kate was in a relationship with another. That maybe he wasn't ready for a new relationship. But it still hurt that she wouldn't be available.


	4. Chapter 4

Kate turned the lights off in the bathroom and strolled across the bedroom, grabbing her phone of the desk and jumping onto her bed. After a relaxing dinner with Chris at his apartment in Chelsea, she took the subway back to her Brooklyn Heights apartment and planned on spending the rest of the evening working. Sending a quick text to both Chris and Gaila, letting one know that she got home alright and the making sure the other wasn't drowning in alcohol, Kate tossed the phone to the side.

"Lets see who signed up for class," she muttered, dragging her laptop over to her. "Right Bella?"

The tuxedo cat cracked open one of her eyes, staring at her before closing it again. Kate sighed and logged into her school account, searching for the details on her summer course. Out of thirty seats, only fifteen had been filled. Class would start in two weeks, and Kate wasn't holding her breath for any more students to enroll. Logging out, Kate quickly checked her email and a few gossip blogs, before shutting the laptop down and moving it over to her desk.

"Well Bells," she sighed. "I guess it's you, me and the television tonight."

Grabbing the remote, Kate turned the television on and flipped through the channels before settling on a marathon of Dance Moms.

"What has my life come to?" she asked herself.

….

"Scotty, my man! Hit me with another!"

The Scotsman grabbed a bottle of Whiskey behind the counter and poured a decent amount into the glass, "Cutting it close, Laddie," he said.

Jim shrugged, "I'm good!" he chuckled.

"Ah guess yeh had a long day at the office? Crazy party planning?" he asked, setting the bottle down.

"Nah," Jim shook his head, tossing the drink back. "My lovely co-worker is being a ice princess and the other gorgeous lady won't even give me the time of day."

Scotty sighed, "Cheer up, Lad," he started preparing another drink. "There are plenty of girlies on this island."

Jim nodded and watched as Scotty moved behind the bar, refreshing drinks and mixing new ones. _Scotty's _was a small bar around the corner from _Enterprise Events, _owned by Montgomery Scott. Jim discovered the bar after a event gone bad, drowned his sorrows and paid a hefty tab. Five years later, Jim was a regular at the small shin-dig, dropping a decent amount of his paycheck every other night. A few times, he brought Leonard when he could get a sitter for Joanna, and other times he brought a girl from the office or whoever he could sucker into going.

Jim sighed and looked down at his now empty glass, thinking about Gaila and how she brushed him off today as if he was a nobody. It was almost lunchtime, and Jim caught up to her by the coffeemaker. She looked extra gorgeous today, wearing a tight blue dress that showed off each and every curve. Her red hair curled around her face, and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. When he asked her out for dinner that evening, she smiled sweetly at him and said she had plans. Before he could even speak, she moved around him and waltzed off to her office across from his.

"Dammit Gaila," he muttered, reaching for his wallet.

He dropped a fifty and hopped off the stool, "Night Scotty!" he shouted, tapping the counter.

Scotty waved to him and went back to putting a drink together and Jim turned and made his way out.

…

"But Daddy!" Joanna whined. "I don't want to go to bed!"

Leonard set the clean laundry into the dresser and pushed the drawer shut, "Jo, it's getting late and you have to be up for daycare tomorrow."

Joanna scowled, "Why can't I stay home?" she asked.

"Because I have to work tomorrow," he said, walking over to the twin bed. "It's only tomorrow and then we'll have the entire weekend together."

The little girl pouted, "But Daddy! I don't want to go tomorrow!"

Leonard sighed and ran his hand across his face, exhausted and frustrated. It had been like this every night for the last six months and it was only getting worse. A struggle to put Joanna to bed and to keep her in bed, drove him up the wall. She was supposed to be in bed by seven-thirty, but over the months it went later and later, until she was forced into bed by ten-thirty- eleven. She would fall asleep after an hour, and wake up at three.

"Jo, I need you to go to bed right now."

"No!"

"Joanna Elizabeth!"

"No! No! No!"

Leonard sighed, "Why are you being difficult?" he asked.

"Why are you being a meanie?" she shot back, her arms folded across her chest.

"A meanie?" he asked, as Joanna's mouth twitched. "Is that so?"

Joanna nodded, "Yes."

"Well, would a meanie do," he stretched out across the tiny bed. "Do this?" he asked, before tickling her.

Joanna screeched and twisted around, trying to throw him off. "No! Stop!" she giggled, as he continued tickling her.

After a few minutes, Leonard pulled back and sighed. "Bed?" he asked.

The little girl let out a huff, "Fineeeeee," she groaned.

Leonard stood up and held the blankets back, allowing Joanna to lay down against the fluffy pillows. Once she was tucked in, Leonard sat back down and patted her blanket-clad legs.

"Tomorrow I'll make pancakes?" he offered.

"Chocolate chip?" she asked.

He nodded, "Anything for you, Darlin'"

Standing up, he dropped a quick kiss on her forehead, "I love you, baby girl."

"Love you too, Daddy," she yawned, rolling onto her side.

Walking towards the door, Leonard reached out for the light switch and turned back to look at his daughter. Assured that she was drifting off, he turned the lights off and closed the door halfway, and headed down the hall to his own room.

….

Hikaru kicked an empty box across the floor and grabbed the next one, slashing the tape with a box cutter. It was a little after eleven and he couldn't sleep. After a second day at Hunter, setting up his office and scoping out the campus and the location of where his lectures would take place, he couldn't help but think of Kate and the older man he saw her with. For all he knew, she was at his place right now having sex with him. Maybe she had daddy issues and liked dating older men for that reason. Hikaru shook his head and the thoughts of Kate and her having sex with the guy, and grabbed the stack of books off his bed.

"Can't think about that," he mumbled, as he set the hardcover books onto the top shelf of the bookcase. "Really don't want to think about that."

Out of the many female professors in his department, Kate was by far the hottest he'd ever had the chance to work with. And she didn't seem to be off her rocker, like most history professors he came across were. That day he met her in his apartment, with the overly sexual Gaila, he thought the skies opened up and delivered her right to his doorstep. That someone who had the same interests as him and was very attractive was someone he needed to be with.

Vanessa had been his girlfriend since junior year of undergrad, and she was gorgeous. But after she rejected his proposal, and the many hours spent thinking about their relationship, Hikaru realized that they really had nothing in common at all. He pretended to care about the stocks in Gucci and Valentino and she pretended to care about immigration laws and the debate on boarder control between Mexico and the southern states. The sex was good and together they made an attractive couple, the envy of all their friends, but other than that there was nothing else.

Opening more boxes, Hikaru moved around the apartment setting his things about, cutting down the boxes and laying them into a pile by the wall. Years of collecting and obtaining his possessions, that once graced the walls and shelves of his home in California, brightened the apartment. He started to feel at home, despite how hectic and fast-paced everything was. Setting the last batch of books onto the bookcase, Hikaru made sure the door was locked and turned the lights off in the living room.

Tumbling down face first on his bed, Hikaru pulled the pillow down uner his head and sighed. With one final thought about Kate, he closed his eyes and allowed the exhaustion to take over.


	5. Chapter 5

The first week of the second summer session went off with the wrath of Mother Nature. When the next scheduled meeting for Kate's lecture was supposed to occur, a hurricane decided to hit the entire tri-state area. Classes were cancelled at Hunter along with every other college in the five boroughs. Since Gaila managed to jet off to Paris for work three days before, Kate was left with the duty of apartment sitting for her friend.

She made it to the apartment just as the first of the downpour started, counting her lucky stars that she made it up the stairs and into the apartment without a drop on her. Pulling her phone out of her bag, Kate sent a quick text to Chris to let him know that she made it safely before setting her bag down. She then emailed Gaila to let her know that she arrived and that she would make sure to unplug all of her appliances as the storm raged through.

Once her messages had been sent, she kicked off her shoes and made her way towards the kitchen. Grabbing a bottle of Bud Light, Kate made her way down the hall to Gaila's room, with full intentions to reorganize her closet.

….

Hikaru sat on the sofa with his laptop, skimming through the power point slides for the next lecture. With classes being cancelled for the rest of the week, professors had to edit their course load to complete the six-week sessions in time. That meant doubling up on events in one lecture or skipping them all together. Sighing, Hikaru rubbed his eyes and glanced out the window. It had been pouring for nearly two hours, the skies dark and dreary. The wind picked up, howling against the windowpanes.

He was growing restless as the day wore on, cooped up in his apartment until the storm passed. There was only so much cable he could withstand, before the want to ram a pencil into his eye took over.

"Fucking bullshit.." he muttered, tapping furiously at the keys. "Hate the goddamn summer."

The lights flickered for a few moments, before turning off all together. In the nearby apartments, Hikaru could hear the muffled shrieks of surprise and cursing from the guy that lived across the hall. Throwing his head back against the sofa, Hikaru groaned.

"Shit."

Saving the power point, he powered down the laptop and placed it on the coffee table, before standing up. He moved towards the door and pulled it open, looking out into the hall.

"Hey is there a circuit breaker in this place?" he asked, as someone came up the stairs.

The figure jumped in fright, "Oh god!" she gasped. "I didn't expect to find anyone in the hallway!"

Hikaru automatically recognized that voice, "Kate?"

She stepped forward, her image becoming clearer in emergency lights that lined the hallway. She smiled at him, clutching a bundle of envelopes and magazines in her arms.

"The one an only," she shrugged.

"I-I thought Gaila was away for the week?" he asked, as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

Kate nodded, "She is," she scratched the side of her head. "Paris for work."

Hikaru nodded and they fell into an awkward silence, standing in the hallway. He wondered if she was here alone for the week. Then he figured that the old man was upstairs waiting for her to return.

"Well," she cleared her throat. "I better head back and finish cleaning out Gaila's closet."

He laughed, "Why do I get the feeling that I'll be seeing Gaila in the hall weighted down with shopping bags?" he asked.

Kate laughed, "She has stuff in that closet that's dated from the 90s," she shook her head. "It's time to let go and move on from the past."

Hikaru nodded, "I better get back to my power points," he sighed. "Nothing else better to do with the power out."

They said their goodbyes and Hikaru watched as she moved up the next flight of stairs, disappearing around the corner. Hikaru sighed and shook his head, moving back inside the warmth of his apartment, shutting the door behind him.

….

An hour later, Hikaru opened his door to find Kate standing on the other side. She held a bottle of wine in one hand and a small basket in the other.

"I figured you could use the company," she said, as he let her in. "I don't know about you, but I am utterly bored up there."

She followed him into the kitchen, handing him the bottle of wine. "I hope you don't mind," she said, as he searched for glasses.

Hikaru shook his head, "No, it's fine," he smiled. "I was getting tired of counting the cracks in the ceiling."

He poured the wine into two glasses, handing one over to Kate as he leaned against the counter.

"What's in the basket?" he asked

Kate looked down at the white wicker basket in her hand. "Candles and matches," she said, looking up at him. "I wasn't sure if you had flashlights."

"I don't, but I will definitely be getting some after this," he sighed. "How about you go and light those up and I'll see what I can put together for dinner?" he suggested. "Are you hungry?"

Kate nodded, "Starving."

…..

"So do you normally apartment sit for Gaila?" Hikaru asked, as Kate moved a candle over on the coffee table.

She shook her head, "No," she sat back. "Gaila hardly goes away for an entire week for work. Usually she takes two maybe three days and comes home."

Hikaru nodded, "She's interesting," he nodded, as Kate looked up at him. "Gaila, that is. She asked me the other day why I taught Latin American History and not Asian History."

Kate snorted, "I'm so sorry," she shook her head. "Gaila has a bad case of word vomit. She doesn't know when to keep her thoughts to herself."

He winced, "Sounds about right," they shared a laugh. "But it was all good, no harm done."

"Well, that's good. I know she can be a little intense sometimes."

They fell into an easy silence, the rain pounding against the windows as it fell. Kate looked around the apartment, taking in the photos and display of books that filled the space.

"So," Hikaru started, scratching his head. "That guy you're always with.. is he your boyfriend?"

Kate's eyes went wide before she started laughing, making Hikaru blush in embarrassment.

"My boyfriend?" she asked.

Hikaru nodded and she laughed a little louder, "I'm sorry," she placed her hand over her chest, shaking her head. "That was so rude of me. I apologize."

He shrugged, "That's okay," he lied. It totally wasn't okay. And it made him feel shitter if that were even possible.

Kate shook her head, "He's not my boyfriend," she licked her lips. "He's my Uncle and he works in the English department at Hunter."

"Wait," Hikaru held up his hand, shaking his head quickly. "You're related to Christopher Pike? The guy who wrote that piece about Shakespearean Lit for the New York Times? That Christopher Pike?" he asked.

She nodded slowly, "Yeah," she frowned. "Well, not blood related, but I still consider him my Uncle. I lived with him from the age of six up until I went to London for school. But he's been in my life since the day I was born and my parents named him my godfather."

"He's like.. pure brilliance. I heard he's been the popular choice to take over the department once Archer retires next year."

Kate smiled, "I hope so," her eyes twinkled. "He's a smart man and loves his work; He's the reason why I wanted to become a teacher and explore the world."

Hikaru smiled, "Seems to me like he did a good job raising you for all those years," he nudged her arm with his elbow.

"Yeah he did," she nodded, her smile faltering a bit. "Best eleven years of my life."

Noting the change in her tone, Hikaru quickly moved to change the subject. "How about we play a game of cards?" he asked, standing up. "Are you good at poker? Gin? Go Fish?"

She snorted, "I'll totally kick your ass in blackjack AND all the others," she challenged.

Hikaru retrieved the deck of cards from the bookcase, moving back across the living room to sit down next to her.

"You think so?" he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.

She snatched the cards out of his hands and moved off the couch and onto the floor. "Loser gets to buy the winner breakfast when classes go back in session."

He grinned, "Deal," he moved off the couch to sit a few inches away from her. "There's a great bagel shop around the corner from Hunter," he smiled.

Kate rolled her eyes and started shuffling the cards, "I like my coffee with milk and sugar," she smiled back. "Two sugars."

Hikaru laughed, "Just deal the cards," he said, waving his hand at her skillful shuffling. "We'll see who the real winner is by the time the night is over."


	6. Chapter 6

"Gaila! How does one sexual dream with someone I hardly know, makes it a fact that we're soulmates?"

Gaila snorted on the other end of the phone, "Jesus Christ, Kate!" she giggled. "Basically means that you're totally gonna get married and have lots of mixed babies."

"You're an asshole," Kate snapped, dropping the pile of dirty laundry into a basket. "I tell you one thing and you go and fucking make a joke of it!"

"Um, you tell me that you had a dream that my neighbor was eating you out on your desk at work," Gaila scoffed. "That's totally not something I would joke about."

Kate scooped up the basket with one arm and moved out of the bedroom and down the hall. "Yeah.. well," she shook her head. "I don't want to talk about this anymore! What are you doing this weekend?"

Gaila sighed, "Bar hopping? Hopefully getting fucked?"

"You're like a man," Kate sighed, setting the basket down on the couch. "Except you have huge tits and a vagina."

Gaila giggled, "Thank you, baby," she cooed. "I can't wait to have my way with you."

Kate rolled her eyes, "I'm going to hang up now," she said. "I have laundry to do and I need to buy groceries."

"I'll call you later then," Gaila sighed. "I would like to see your pretty face this weekend and buy you a drink or two. My way of saying thank you for watching my apartment while I was gone."

"Yeah, yeah," Kate said, as she grabbed her keys. "You owe me more than a few drinks. I'll call you later, bitch."

…..

Kate moved down the narrow aisles, scanning the items on the shelves as she went. After watching Gaila's apartment for a week, the small stock of food had started to spoil in her refrigerator. It also didn't help when Christopher showed up the day before, scowling and muttering about how thin she looked and how there was no food to feed an army, let alone one woman. With a promise to go food shopping the next day, Kate settled for take out and a few hours of work with her Uncle at her kitchen table.

"Shit," she muttered, looking down at her basket. "Cat food. I forgot the cat food!"

Turning on her heel, Kate turned at the corner and slammed into another person, dropping her basket on the floor.

"Shit!" she yelped, backing up. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay!" the man said, bending down to help her. "I was rushing and I didn'- oh. Kate."

Looking up, Kate gasped as she stared into the eyes of Hikaru. Her dream man. The last time she saw those eyes, they were staring at her from above, soon after his talent mouth and tongue fucked her open. Blinking, Kate quickly scooped all her things up and dropped them into the basket, pulling it up off the ground as she stood.

"Hi!" she said quickly. "What a surprise! I didn't know you shopped all the way down here in my area."

He laughed, "I had a meeting with a publisher," he nodded. "Then I heard this market was down here and I wanted to check it out."

Kate nodded, "Publisher?" she asked, trying to play it cool. It was hard when the only image in her head was of his head, down between her tanned thighs.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm trying to publish my thesis."

She nodded and smiled, "That's great!"

Hikaru nodded, "So what are you doing this weekend?" he asked. "Anything fun or a night in of work?"

"This weekend Probably nothing," she shrugged. "Unless Gaila decides I need to go bar hopping and keep an eye on her."

"How about we get together?" he asked. "Unless Gaila needs you to be her designated chaperone, maybe we could get something to eat?"

_I want you to eat something, for sure. _

Kate blushed and nodded, "Yeah!" she said a little to quickly. "I mean, yes. I would like that very much."

Hikaru nodded, frowning at her sudden behavior. "O-kay," he said slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow then? Maybe after our lectures we can pick a time and place?"

She nodded, "Yeah, that would be great!" she smiled. "My lecture ends before noon and you know where my office is."

"I do," he nodded, giving her a smile. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow," she nodded, giving him a small wave as they started walking opposite directions.

….

Kate slammed the drawer to her desk shut, nearly missing her fingertips as she searched for a working pen.

"Fuck.." she muttered, tossing the dead pen past the trash bin. "Ugh!"

"You sound like you're having fun."

Looking up, she spotted Chris standing in the doorway of her office, taking in the disarray that took over.

She sighed, "I've got to get these outlines graded by the end of the week," she shuffled the papers around on her desk. "It's a fucking sauna outside and why don't any of these fucking pens work!"

Stepping into the office, Chris closed the door halfway before making his way over to her desk. "Just calm down," he said, setting his book on the empty chair. "Did you eat?"

"Did I eat?" she scoffed. "What is with you and food?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "Did you eat?"

"No! I didn't eat!" she yelled. "I've been trying to grade this pile of shit for the last three days, but I am so fucking horrified at what these.. children have produced in the last two weeks of learning! What the hell am I doing here, wasting my summer vacation, teaching a bunch of stoners about World War II?!"

The older man just stared at her, letting her continue her rant. "I am this close to fucking quitting, packing up my shit and leaving the goddamn country! I thought last semester was bad, but Jesus Christ! These kids are fucking incapable of putting two and two together!"

Chris gently took hold of her hand, prying her fingers off the pair of scissors. "I think," he moved the potential weapon onto the chair. "You need to just, put the papers to the side, get up, and come downstairs."

"Why?"

"Because fresh air will do you some good," he sighed. "Maybe a little food in your body would help as well, seeing as your blood sugar is probably in the negative at this moment."

She groaned, "Fuck."

Chris shook his head, "Come on," he nodded his head towards the door. "Up, up, up. I'll buy you lunch and you can tell me what's really going on."

Kate was about to protest, when he shot her a stern look. "I maybe old," he said, as she slowly stood up. "But I've known you since birth and you've lived with me during your teenage-hood. I know when you're in distress and I can read you like a book."

Grabbing her phone and office keys, Kate moved around the desk and allowed him to lead her out into the hallway. "I'll have to practice keeping my emotions in check," she sighed, as he closed the door behind them.

…..

Twenty minutes later, the two professors sat across from one another at _World Cup Café. _Kate nibbled on a french fry, as her Uncle watched her closely.

"So you're all stressed out because of a boy?" he frowned. "Katie…"

"Look, I know it sounds ridiculous," she said, as he nodded in agreement. "But when do I ever go on dates? Or get asked out on them?"

Chris shook his head, "I didn't know you had trouble getting boys to ask you out on dates," he watched as she reached for the bottle of ketchup. "You're a lovely young woman, Kate."

She sighed, "You're supposed to say stuff like that. You're family and family never lies."

"Okay," he sighed. "What's wrong with this boy then? Do you not want to go out on a date with him?"

"I do," she shrugged. "It's just.. I'm not a social butterfly, Uncle Chris. My idea of a fun night is watching re-runs of some horrible show, bundled under my blankets with my cat."

Chris snorted, "That demon?" he asked, as she glared. "Sorry. Continue."

Kate sighed, "Between work, this guy and my Mother calling me twenty-four-seven about if I'm coming to visit her, is driving me crazy!"

"Work you can deal with," he said. "You know how to do your job and you know you have friends who can help you out; maybe you should see about getting a TA for the fall, Kate. You can't do all the work by yourself anymore."

"Then that requires me to put out a request advertisement for TA's, read the applications and interview students," she whined. "That's too much work."

Chris shook his head, "Why not ask that Rand girl? Jane?"

"Janice?" she asked, trying to remember exactly why that name sounded familiar.

"Yes! Janice!" he smiled. "I've had her as a student in several of my classes and I know she's taken a bunch of yours! She's been a TA for a few of my classes the last three years, but she's decided to go a different route in the fall."

Kate snorted, "Awww, she's jumped ship on you?" she asked.

Chris rolled his eyes, "No," he shook his head. "She's actually trying to get a TA position in your department," he ignored the skeptical look on her face. "She's very organized and reliable, Kate. I think she would be a perfect match for you, if you'd just let go of some of the workload. I can ask her for you if you'd like and send over her transcripts and whatnot."

"Fine," she huffed. "But I'm not promising you anything."

He nodded, "I know," he sat back in the chair. "Now for your Mother? I'll call her tonight and make up something about a backup of paperwork or something."

Kate snorted, "Thanks," she shook her head. "I just.. don't know how to tell her that I don't want to see her. Every time I do, she pulls that "oh it's just a phase and you'll get over it!" bullshit."

"Katie," he sighed. "She's your Mother. Even though she's done a lot of fucked up things, she still loves you."

"If she loved me, she would've done the right thing," she said, looking him in the eye. "Instead, she ran off for almost twenty years. If it wasn't for you, I would've been tossed around in foster care."

Chris reached across the table and took her hand into his, "You're my family, not her," Kate said. "One of these days, I'll tell her how I really feel and then maybe she'll get the picture."

The waitress came by at that moment, glancing at their joined hands before putting a smile on her face. "Is everything okay here?" she asked, nodding to their plates. "Would you like a refill on your drinks?"

Chris tore his gaze off of Kate and looked up at the young woman, "Please?" he asked, as she nodded. "Thank you."

Once the waitress went off with their empty glasses, Chris turned back to Kate. "Now that we've gotten both work _and _your Mother out of the way," he sighed, resting his elbows onto the table. "Care to tell me a bit more about this boy that wants to court you?"

Kate snorted, " .GOD." she shook her head. "You did NOT refer to it as courting!"

Chris chuckled, "Humor me," he shrugged. "The most interesting gossip I hear is about my students and what they do on their weekends and what STD's this one got from this boy. I'm desperate here for some normal, adult-to-adult conversation here."

"Maybe you should start your own blog!" she gasped. "Like that Gossip Girl show! Pretend to write about the people around you and learn the gritty details of their lives!"

"And get fired for being a creep?" he asked, as she shoved a fry into her mouth. "No thank you. I've worked too hard to get where I am today."

Kate sighed, "He's a teacher," she shrugged. "At Hunter."

Chris's eyes went wide, "He is?" he asked. "Who?"

"His name is Hikaru Sulu," she blushed slightly. "He's in the history department, teaching the Latin America courses and he's new."

He whistled, "Well," he shook his head. "I'm sure your date wont be too terrible; discussing the historical backgrounds and wars of your areas of study."

"Oh, and talking about a old white guy who's been dead for over a hundred years or something," she rolled her eyes. "Is SO much better?

Chris pointed at her, "Don't knock on Shakespeare," he warned. "Who was it that enjoyed my rendition of _Romeo and Juliet _or _The Comedy of Errors? " _

Kate rolled her eyes, "Jesus," she held her hands up. "I'm sorry! I won't knock on Shakespeare!"

"Good," he nodded, picking up his fork. "Now, tell me more about this young man. I want to know if I need to see you off when he comes to pick you up."


End file.
